Darn it Murphy Might be Right After All
by Aileil
Summary: Well, I have decided to give this another go. So: this story shows how life on Atlantis so aptly illustrates Murphy's Law. As well as several off shoots thereof.
1. Chapter 1

**Darn it….. Murphy Might Be Right After All**

_A clean (and dry) set of BDU's is a magnet for mud and rain._

_-Murphy's 33__rd__ law of combat_

Chapter the First: In Which the Aforementioned Law is Proved Beyond a Doubt

The stillness on P7X-391 was broken abruptly by a 'whoosing' sound and a flash of blue light soon followed by voices and their owners.

"Hey, it's a mountain for once!" Sheppard commented cheerfully.

"And this is significant?" queried Teyla, somewhat puzzled by his elation.

"It's just something that people in the Stargate program have noticed for a while, almost every time a team goes through the Stargate there is a forest on the other side. Evidently the Ancients liked trees." Rodney explained absently while staring at his scanner, somewhat bored. Suddenly, he perked up. "Hey, hey, hey. Guys I just read a massive power spike. That is so weird. Where the power surge came from there are only the most low level readings anyone is ever likely to find. We have to go check it out." He determined.

"Hold your horses a second there Rodney. We're supposed to examine this planet for potential food sources and trading partners. Now we might still check out your power readings but we should do what we came here for first." Sheppard said trying to catch the physicist's attention.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. But people are almost always near power sources. Whether they actually use it or not a lot of cultures seem to adopt Ancients and their technology into their religion. So where there is a power source we might find trading partners anyway and they are most likely to know about the potential food production on this planet anyways. So we could kill three birds with one stone, so to speak, and go check it out." Rodney replied almost pleadingly.

"He is right, most Ancient tech we've come across has been near whatever population the planet has." Ronon put in.

"All right Rodney, but if you are both right about people being there let me tell you I don't want them to get mad at us just because you are too eager about messing around with their toys." Sheppard warned.

Rodney just nodded absently, obviously absorbed in his study of the scanner. Then the team set out in the direction Rodney had indicated. The trek started out on mostly even ground but soon they found themselves going up a fairly steep incline, which was of course accompanied by a long discourse from Rodney about how irritating the Ancients were to keep putting the 'gate in the position that made the hike to anything worthwhile as inconvenient as possible. Sheppard only half listened occasionally putting in a sarcastic comment or two about it being their version of a National Park and not wanting to mess it up with board walks. Teyla simply listened to them and laughed to herself once in a while. Ronon was still puzzled at the amount of complaining the scientist could do about being short of breath. He had to admit to himself that it was rather amusing to listen to the complaints between short gasps for air. He had once suggested to Mckay that he might not be quite so short of breath if he used less of it explaining his condition to the rest of the group. The scientist had merely shot him a look that could have curdled milk and kept up his complaints while Sheppard explained that the point of complaining was not to find a solution, but simply to vent one's frustrations. When Ronan had asked 'why' the best explanation any one had been able to give him was that it served to make whatever was being complained about seem less annoying to the person doing the complaining. Ronon didn't really understand but he let Mckay 'vent' and occasionally amused himself by dropping completely innocent 'helpful' remarks to listen to Mckay change his complaint midsentence and start a completely new rant. It amused the Sateaden to no end how easy it was to sidetrack Mckay.

As they kept walking Rodney's complaints were interrupted quite abruptly by a very loud clap of thunder that made him jump.

"Oh, brilliant. As if the uphill hike wasn't enough now it is going to rain on us. Atlantis is in the middle of the ocean and it is _sunny_ there. It just isn't fair that it decides to rain here, where it obviously hasn't rained in a while, on the one day we are in the neighborhood." Rodney remarked peevishly.

"Well Rodney, we could always go back to Atlantis, say the game was cancelled on account of rain and come back on another day to do the hike all over again when it's dry." Sheppard remarked with a grin.

"Yes Rodney, maybe we should go back, the readings will still be here on our return." Teyla said sweetly.

"Oh no you don't! You are not avoiding this so easily!" Rodney fumed. "We are investigating those readings even if you have to get a little wet. Besides, weren't you the ones who were so concerned about finding people and food? If we leave now you'd still have to come back for that." Rodney announced smugly.

Just as the team started walking again the rain started falling. And not just a small trickle either, but a fine impression of a waterfall. They were soon all soaked and they all had muddy boots. Rodney had not stopped his complaints and was beginning to compare their current situation with every lousy fishing trip he had ever been on and exactly why there was a correlation between him being in mountains and rain coming down to meet him when his tirade was yet again cut short. This time by a rather shrill yell from his own mouth as a large amount of earth beneath him had decided to come loose with him on top of it and send him sliding down the other side of the very large hill they were on. When his teammates looked over to see if he was all right they couldn't tell him from the mud into which he had fallen.

"Rodney!" Teyla yelled in sync with Ronon and Sheppard's chorus of "Mckay!"

Their shouts were greeted by silence though and they were about to shout again or climb down the slope when their ears were treated to a rather loud spluttering sound that sounded rather like 'oh, that tastes disgusting!'

"Mckay, are you all right?" Called Sheppard.

"No, I'm not all righ… OW!" Rodney's sharp retort was cut short by a yell of pain and a whimper.

"What's wrong?" Sheppard asked, concerned; as he started making his way down the slope as quickly as he could without following Mckay's path. He was beaten to the bottom by Ronon.

His only answer was another miserable whimper

**Author's Note:** Hiya. This is my first try at anything like this okay? So, suggest improvement, tell me if I have goofed up a character or their speech pattern. If you have a problem let me know but for goodness sake do it politely huh? If you like it, tell me that too please. As much as I like hearing how to make my writing better I also like to know what I'm doing right and shouldn't change.


	2. Chapter 2

_Every solution breeds new problems_

_-Murphy's 10__th__ Law_

Chapter the Second: In which we are Shown **Exactly** Why People Should Never Split Up

"Rodney, don't do this to me pal." Sheppard said with a note of fear in his voice.

Ronon's voice called up "He's got a broken leg, I think it's pretty bad."

Sheppard hurried to get to his friends noting Teyla on her way behind him. "When you say 'pretty bad' do you mean snapped in half bad, or…oh." Sheppard trailed off when he saw the state of Rodney's leg. "You need a doctor." He stated, completely unnecessarily. Rodney simply looked at him through so much mud it was hard for Sheppard to decipher the face Rodney made at that statement.

Rodney's leg was not just 'pretty bad' it was awful. Even under all that mud Sheppard was able to see white bone sticking out with his leg bent in a way so that contortionists had nothing him. Rodney hadn't said a word since his team members had gotten to him and Sheppard was sure it was because he didn't trust himself not to scream like a girl. He had also begun shaking nearly imperceptibly. But Sheppard knew it could be an early sign of shock. What worried Sheppard the most though was the fact he knew they couldn't get Rodney back to the gate like this. Suddenly Rodney broke the silence with a surprised cry.

"What?" Sheppard asked, worried.

"I-I just wi-wiped off the scanner screen and th-there are more life signs there than there were before. I think we mi-might have found you're natives." Rodney said with a weak grin, his words broken by the tremors running through his body. "They're v-very close to us. About a m-mile away."

Sheppard thought over his options. Carry Rodney several miles over treacherous, muddy slopes back to Atlantis on a makeshift stretcher; carry Rodney over to a village of unknown people who could be friendly or very, very hostile; or…..

"Teyla, you come with me to see if we can get medical help for Rodney at this village. If so we can take him there until one of us can get back to Atlantis for Beckett. Ronon, you stay here with Rodney while we check and make sure the village is safe." Sheppard knew Ronon wouldn't like the inaction of his post but he also knew that if something did go wrong he would be more comfortable knowing the big Sateadan was watching Rodney's back. Ronon might complain about Mckay as much as Mckay complained about the 'caveman' but Sheppard knew that the two of them were very good friend and one would never let any harm come to the other.

Ronon grunted his agreement to the plan. While Sheppard and Teyla both moved where Mckay could see them and promised him it would be all right and told him to 'hang in there' and left. Both worried about what the combined effects of blood loss, pain, cold, wet, and mud in an open wound might do to their friend. They knew that Carson could patch him up, but unless the natives were friendly and would let Rodney put up there until Carson could arrive he would be in a world of hurt being carried back to the 'gate. By silent consent the sped up their pace to reach the village sooner.

Not long after they set out Sheppard had the nasty feeling that someone was watching them. The feeling got worse and worse as they neared the village and as soon as the thatched buildings were in sight they were surrounded by people dressed like Indians and doing a fair impression of a war whoop. Teyla soon began to speak in a low soothing voice. "We are not here to harm you, we merely wished to find shelter for a friend of ours who is wounded. We only ask that you allow him to stay here with one of us where it is warm and dry until one of us can reach our own people and bring back our healer." Sheppard tried to appear non-threatening while this was going on but he noted the closing circle with distaste and made the decision to fire a warming shot if they started prodding anybody with those spears of theirs. One of the 'Indians' made a sudden lunge towards Teyla with his spear and Sheppard fired a short volley of rounds into the air to warn him off but that only kindled the anger of the 'Indians' further and Sheppard and Teyla soon found themselves being pulled along by some decidedly unfriendly natives.

Ronon began pacing uneasily as soon as Sheppard and Teyla were out of sight but stopped when he heard a nearly inaudible whimper from Mckay followed by a coughing fit. Ronon realized that the mud must have been getting in his mouth and started wiping it off of Mckay's face but drew his hand away in surprise at how cold Rodney was. He could tell that Rodney was falling asleep and he knew that that simply had to be a symptom of shock so he decided to actually encourage the man to talk to bring his focus back.

"So Mckay, on Sateada when I was a small boy I used to participate in the training exercises with the men sometimes and once I fell from an obstacle and I broke my arm when I caught myself. So, what about you, have you ever done something like this before?" Ronon tried awkwardly. He knew he wasn't much good at bedside manner. Whenever someone was wounded while he was around they were the type that wouldn't want sympathy. But with Mckay he was fairly certain that if the man wasn't talking something was wrong so talking to him gently seemed to be the best option. If only he could manage it.

"W-well, one time, I t-tried to climb the biggest tree at my school and when the principal yelled at me to get down I-I-I was so startled that I ju-just let go of the branch I was holding and fell down. I didn't break anything but I d-dislocated m-my sh-shoulder when I l-landed." Mckay recounted ruefully. "Th-the worst part was th-that the p-principal din't think i wa' hi' fault."

Ronon frowned at the increase in stutters throughout the tail and was even more worried when Rodney started slurring. He wasn't sure if it was a result of his injury, fatigue, or the cold but he decided that he could do something about two of those options. After observing Rodney for this long he hadn't shown the worrisome signs of shock that Beckett kept going on about so he decided that keeping him awake to monitor his symptoms wasn't going to help with just Ronon there anyways. So he finished wiping as much mud off of Rodney as was possible then he gentle wrapped Rodney in his large coat. Rodney was sleepy enough he didn't even notice. The huge Sateadan allowed himself a small smile at the sight of Rodney resting peacefully by the tree. But soon he was more worried about the effects of prolonged time periods out in the element might have on Rodney in his injured state. Both Rodney and Ronon were roused from their thoughts (or sleep) by a volley of gunfire.

Ronon hesitated looking between Rodney and the forest. He didn't want to leave Mckay alone but he was far away from the dots the screen showed. And it was possible he could get Teyla and Sheppard out of their fix and then they could all hightail it to the 'gate. He knew Beckett would lecture them about treating Rodney so roughly but they would have to anyway if the villagers denied them shelter. Rodney observed his friends conflict and decided that really, he knew his friends would be back for him so it would be stupid for any of them to get hurt because one person thought he needed babysitting. Sure he couldn't do much by himself but, since they were coming back, what could he possibly need to do?

"Ronon, if you don't go right now and find out what that racket is and stop it I will personally make your life a living hell while we wait for Sheppard and Teyla to sort it out for themselves. Sure they'll shut them up eventually but you will get it done a whole lot faster…" he trailed off when Ronon gave him a pointed look that said 'I'll go if you'd only shut up long enough for me to talk'. Ronon was actually extremely relieved at the lack of slurring and stammering. He knew they'd come back quickly when Mckay's energy dropped again. But the fact that they went away meant that they hadn't been caused by Mckay being too cold, yet. Besides, Mckay was right. He could solve the problem quickly and get back sooner that Sheppard and Teyla could by themselves.

"All right, but you have to promise not to try to wriggle too much while I'm gone. You'll get more blood on my coat if you do." He tried to sound menacing but he was certain he only sounded like he was stalling so he turned abruptly and left.

**Author's Note: **I promise we'll get to the weird universe next chapter. Oh, and just because I'm weird like this I thought someone might be curious so I'll mention. Hypovolemic shock cannot be caused by a traumatic leg injury of this type. Hypovolemic shock is caused by _internal_ bleeding. The only type of shock that Rodney could reasonably have suffered from his wound is hemorrhagic shock. However, since shock, if not treated immediately or close to, will lead to the rather nasty end of the sufferer I decided that the amount of time shock would take to kill him would not be long enough to get him to help the way this is going I decided to leave him to the mercies of the bacteria in the mud. And did I mention it is still raining, hard? Well, hope you like it so far. R&R even if you criticize. Especially if you criticize.


	3. Chapter 3

_The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it._

_-Murphy's 42__nd__ Law of Combat_

Chapter the Third: In which we Discover that, Depending on how You Look at it, the Grass Might Actually be Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

"Something tells me they're not as worried about guns as we'd like." Sheppard muttered to Teyla.

"They are surprisingly calm considering your display." Teyla replied. She noticed Sheppard tensing up, probably for another attack when she felt a surge of what felt like electricity run through her and briefly noticed Sheppard was enveloped in a small glow before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Ronon arrived at the clearing where Sheppard and Teyla were just in time to see them struck by energy blasts and crumple to the ground. He didn't even have time to wonder about the strangeness of their weapons compared with their clothing before he too crumpled from their strange weapons.

When he regained consciousness he saw Teyla and Sheppard next to him, also waking up. They were all bound tightly with ropes made of vines. Ronon tried to break them and noticed to knots getting tighter the more he struggled and decided he might be better off trying to come up with an alternate plan first. He turned to Sheppard and asked "Who're your friends?"

"They are the natives of this world who really shouldn't have weapons like they do but that is a question for another day. What I want to know is, why did you leave Rodney?" Sheppard's voice lowered at the end of his question in a tone that would make many quake in their boots.

"Rodney and I heard gunfire, after a short talk we had decided that the two of us waiting there for you to get back was going to take a whole lot more time than he really wanted to spend out in the rain so I went to get you back." Ronon explained as concisely as he could.

"What was his condition when you left Ronon?" Teyla asked; hoping to spare Ronon the Sheppard Lecture on Wounded Comrades.

"He had stopped stammering and slurring, he's wrapped up so he should be warm enough for now. His leg hurts, a lot. It reminds him of falling out of a tree at school." Ronon decided to include that last detail because he knew it would be more reassuring than any other news he could give them to know that Rodney was talking. Everyone knew that if Rodney was talking he couldn't be too bad, yet.

Before Sheppard or Teyla could respond to Ronon's report the 'Indians' encircled them again and pulled them to their feet. The 'Indians' spoke in an unintelligible language and dragged their three prisoners towards a wall that looked as if it were made of pure obsidian. All three were hurled towards the wall at the same time; but instead of a nose-breaking impact the simply felt an extreme chill for a few seconds. The chill was so cold that the air was forced from their lungs and their eyes were forced shut. When they opened their eyes they didn't see a wall but they had their backs to it and were facing a large group of very surprised looking 'Indians'.

Sheppard didn't know why he cared but it bothered him that it was _still_ raining. He supposed that really should be the least of his worries but it just didn't seem fair that after all they had already gone through today it was still raining. He wondered what Rodney thought of the rain. He really hoped the salt content wasn't very high or his leg was going to be stinging really badly on top of everything else.

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is a really short chapter and that I took so long to post it. Our family had a really busy week and I haven't had much time to type. The next one will be longer and much more interesting I promise. Everyone who has read the description of the story (or watched any SciFi for that matter) knows what just happened. Isn't it funny that the audience always figures things out faster than the characters? I promise, both Rodney's will be able to get _some_ enjoyment out of their situations. Even if a little whump might be involved.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Anything you do can get you in trouble, including nothing."_

_-Murphy's 15__th__ Law of Combat_

Chapter the Fourth: In Which Our Heroes Discover _Exactly_ How Much More out You Can Get

After the initial shock Sheppard whirled about to face his team and asked "Anybody know what the _hell_ just happened?"

"Perhaps we should ask the natives since they were the ones to push us in the first place." Teyla suggested reasonably.

The 'Indians', for their part, had been talking amongst themselves. They now turned to face Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla. One 'Indian' came forward and asked "How did you return so quickly through the permundi?"

"The permundi?" asked Sheppard, puzzled.

"Th-the" the 'Indian' waved his hands as though searching for words, "the door of worlds." He finished as though it were a very poor descriptor. "How did you return? Only those that threaten us with imminent harm are ever put through. And, yes, some have come from the other side, some have even returned, but none like you." The 'Indian' was obviously agitated.

Slowly, from the back of the crowd, an old 'Indian' came closer to the front. "Isn't it possible that these are the doubles of those we banished and they were simply banished at the same moment? The ones we banished wished for our destruction and were unwilling to speak to us, but these have not tried to harm us."

An elderly woman at the man's elbow held up here hand "I have a test for the otherworlders it is at least way to help us guess better." She turned to face Ronon, Sheppard, and Teyla "Do you have a companion wounded in the forest that you have abandoned?"

The three travelers felt the words cut deeply, _abandoned_, that had not been their intention, but was it not the same result? But that was when Teyla realized why the choice of words was important. She lifted her head and spoke "No! We did not_ abandon_ him! We left him, yes. First we left Ronon with him, but then you attacked us so Ronon left Rodney to help us so that we could still return him to our home for help."

"If you truly wish to help your companion why did you leave him in the first place?" questioned the woman.

"The journey back to our home is long and rough, it would be very painful for him while injured. We came to your village hoping to find refuge for our companion while one of us returned to our home to bring medical aid." Teyla said sorrowfully. She suddenly narrowed her eyes. "How did you know of Rodney? Have you harmed him?"

The old man stepped forward and faced his people. "I believe we owe our visitors and explanation." He turned back to face the otherworlders. "The permundi is a doorway to a world like ours but not the same. It is a world as it could have been had choices of some been different. On the other side we, ourselves, are a cruel people who steal weapons from those that can be subdued. From what we have seen you are good in your world but your doubles in this world are conquerors. If they see a device they think could be useful they will eradicate its protectors and take it as their own. Your companion is no doubt in grave danger on your side of the permundi but we cannot send you back for a full three days. The permundi takes a long time to regain its power. If you so choose you may spend those three days with us, in our village. However, you may want to help the double of your friend in this world. He may not be your friend, but he is your friend as he could have been if circumstances were different on your world."

The otherworlders looked at each other for a few moments, trying to comprehend what they had just been told. It was obvious to them that a similar explanation had been delivered to others before, presumably those that 'their' Indians had banished. When they had managed to understand what they had been told they didn't even need to confer with each other to reach a unanimous decision.

"We wish to help our friend."

"Where's Mckay? He needs our help."

"We gotta go. Friend in trouble." Came their responses simultaneously.

The 'Indians' parted to give them room to leave, and some pointed in the direction that the otherworlders had originally come from. And the watched as the three companions ran to help their companion, no-their friend. They heard the thanks from the otherworlders. And some silently hoped they would be able to find help for their friend in this version of their home.

_Meanwhile, back in our universe…._

Rodney had finally fallen asleep huddled in Ronon's coat. The rain had slowed somewhat but it was still much wetter than Rodney liked. He heard a low insistent buzzing. He slowly realized that he was actually hearing voices but his sleep fogged brain was having trouble identifying the words being used. He did determine that the voices were those of his friends which made him feel very happy and safe. It was good that they were back. That meant that nothing bad had happened to them. Slowly he managed to decipher some of the softly spoken words.

"…yes, but how did he get my coat. Especially because, unless all of us are delusional, I am _still wearing_ my coat?"

Rodney frowned. He wasn't sure why they were talking about coats; but he could tell, despite the gentleness of the voices, that they were agitated about something. But Rodney was so tired he decided he would let his team mates do the worrying. They weren't trying to wake him up so he wasn't going to do that himself. He slowly drifted off. Happy that his team was there, and knowing that no matter what they would keep him safe.

**Author's Note**: So, what do you guys think? Will the mirror Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney be evil? And if they are will they be irredeemable? Don't worry too much though. I'm a very big fan of things getting straightened out. It would be too depressing for me to just leave them hanging. So R&R. Little secret about reviews: they have the potential to change my mind. So if you don't like an element of the story and you present your point well enough I might fix it.


	5. Chapter 5

_If everything seems to be going well you have obviously overlooked something._

_-Murphy's 6__th__ Law of Combat_

Chapter the Fifth: In Which Confusion Ensues

_In a universe not our own…._

Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon ran through the forest to find Rodney, hoping that _somehow_ in this universe he wouldn't have been injured as badly. Suddenly Ronon, who was ahead of the others, called behind him "I see him!". The others doubled their pace to reach their comrade. When they reached him he was unconscious and shivering from the cold.

"Well, we can't just leave him with the natives while we get medical help. We don't know how things work in this universe. We'll just have to carry him to the 'gate." Sheppard said.

Ronon looked him over and observed "His leg isn't as bad in this place. But it looks like he hit his head pretty good."

Rodney groaned and turned his head. Teyla kneeled down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder to let him know he wasn't alone. His unfocused eyes opened and gazed on them unseeing.

He started to move a little, backing away from them. "No…..pls….g'way. M'srry…..don' hur' me." He begged quietly. His friends looked at each other, shocked.

"It's us Rodney, your friends. We won't hurt you, but we need to get you back to Beckket. Ronon's gonna carry you okay?" Sheppard spoke very gently.

"You must trust us Rodney. Do not struggle, or it might hurt. Ronon will be gentle but the terrain is rough. You must be still. Can you do this Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"M'kay." He turned his unfocused gaze on Ronon. "Pr'mse y' won' hur' me?" he pleaded.

"I will be very careful" Ronon assured the scientist, as he scooped him up gently and started to the 'gate.

Sheppard and Teyla exchanged a look as they followed. Why was Rodney afraid of them? From up ahead they heared the slightly stronger voice of Rodney float back "Wha' h'ppn'd?" Sheppard sighed. This could be a long couple of hours.

Rodney: "What happened?"

Ronon: "You fell down a hill."

Rodney: "Oh…That doesn't sound fun. Why were we near the hill?"

Ronon: *Sigh*

A few minutes later…..

Rodney: "What happened?"

Sheppard: "The sky was falling and a piece of it fell on your head."

Rodney: "Does that make you Goosy-Loosy?"

Sheppard: "Well, I guess I was asking for that one."

A few minutes later…..

Rodney: "What happened?"

Sheppard: "Q decided that we might be more fun to pester than Picard."

Rodney: "I don't believe you."

Restart

Rodney: "What happened?"

Sheppard: "The Ewoks decided that they needed some target practice."

Rodney: "Uh huh…"

Restart

Rodney: "What happened?"

Sheppard: "Well, there was this cute little girl named Dorothy and she had a house see…"

And again…

Rodney: "What happened?"

Sheppard: "The Cybermen decided that you should be assimilated."

Rodney: "Oh. So you want to be Adric? He's good with math."

*Eyeroll*

Rinse and repeat….

Sheppard: "So, does Spock have a beard in all of you Star Trek episodes?"

Rodney: "What in the Pegasus Galaxy are you talking about? Of course not!"

…

"How's life in an alternate universe?" Sheppard finally asked since he had finally gotten Rodney to quite asking what happened.

"Who are you?" Rodney asked incredulously.

"Oh don't tell me you little memory loss thing has gotten worse!" Sheppard honestly didn't want to try to keep answering those questions. Though he was glad that Rodney had stopped slurring. He still couldn't focus his eyes or track correctly but his speech had improved for short periods of time.

"No, it's just that you you you…you don't act like this!" Rodney said, obviously flustered.

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked.

"Not that I don't like getting a reprieve on this missions 'beat the geek' session but. Why? You guys hate me!" Rodney said. Finally getting up the courage to ask the question that had bothered him every time Sheppard gave a funny answer to one of Rodney's questions instead of a terse answer accompanied by a mocking of Rodney's intelligence. He hadn't even been hit when he called Sheppard 'Goosy-Loosy'. Something was obviously up. "Am I dying?" Rodney asked aloud. "No, then you wouldn't be trying to get me back to the 'gate. It must be something serious for you guys to be nice but not bad enough for you to leave me behind…." He mumbled and then lost consciousness for what seemed like the thousandth time since they had started back to the 'gate leaving three very confused individuals behind him.

They reached the 'gate before Rodney regained consciousness. They dialed Atlantis and asked for Beckket to be getting ready for their arrival. When they entered the Gateroom they saw Dr. Weir but she wasn't the one coming to find out what had happened. I her usual place was Colonial Everett.

_Back in our universe….._

Rodney felt himself being carried none too gently. His leg was jarred painfully jolting him to full consciousness. He tried to shift to see who was carrying him but that was too painful so he settled for looking around him. He finally spotted Teyla and Sheppard. Therefore, Ronon must be the one carrying him. He felt ridiculously pleased with himself to have figured this out. He tried to turn to face someone- anyone- better. He didn't like being alone, and even though his team was there it didn't feel like it in the silence. He final decided that since no one was noticing he was awake and talking to him he might as well be the one to start the conversation. He decided to start with the obvious question.

"Where are we?"

"We, little man, are going back to the 'gate because you, in your stupidity, have decided to fall down a hill and break your leg, though I was pretty sure it was your head a little while ago." Ronon replied irritably.

"Huh?" Rodney asked. He wondered for a moment if the Sateaden was feeling well. He certainly wasn't making any sense. Maybe the caveman had hit _his_ head coming down the hill after Rodney. Rodney began to laugh as the image of Jack and Jill as portrayed by himself and Ronon came to mind (with Ronon as Jill of course). He stopped laughing out of shock as he felt his head connect with a branch, quite obviously a purposeful oversight on the Sateaden's part. Rodney wondered momentarily if he had said the whole Jack and Jill thing out loud.

"Yes you did, you ungrateful man, now if you don't keep your mouth shut for the rest of the journey back to the 'gate your 'beat the geek' session will be worse than usual next mission." Sheppard cautioned.

Rodney decided not to reply until he had thought out his situation more carefully. Nothing was making much sense at the moment. He almost couldn't help himself when he realized that as much as Sheppard usually reminded him of Captain Kirk right now he was reminded of Mirror Kirk, and Teyla could play Mirror Uhura, and that would have to make Ronon either Mirror Scotty or Mirror McCoy. He lost consciousness again thinking about which characters his friends reminded him of. Maybe Teyla would like to be Romana…

**Author's Note:** I just wanted to say thank to everybody for reading this and especially those as deemed it worthy of a review. Uh, I also kind of thought I should warn you guys that summer might get busier very soon. Y' know bible camp, string camp, birthdays, etc. So I'll try to keep posting fairly often but don't be surprised if it's a bit more irregular than it already has been huh? Oh and thanks for putting up with that by the way. 'Till next time!


	6. Chapter 6

_Nature always sides with the hidden flaw; the hidden flaw never stays hidden for long._

_-Murphy's 17__th__ Law of Combat_

_Not so very long ago, in a universe far, far away…_

Ronon was so preoccupied with their strange surroundings in the Gateroom that he didn't register Sheppard calling for a med team until he felt hands pulling at his charge. When this elicited a moan of pain from the unconscious scientist Ronon bared his teeth at the frightened medic and nearly growled until he realized that the flustered man was just trying to help. He relinquished the physicist to the medical team with some embarrassment. He glanced at his team mates and he could tell that he was not alone in his anxiety. He shot a questioning look towards Sheppard, wondering how they were supposed to proceed. His question was soon answered by Colonial Everett.

"Debriefing, my office, now." His tone was low and almost threatening. Something about the situation obviously didn't sit well with him and he didn't even know the half of it yet.

Sheppard didn't really think that they would be allowed to wander about on their own for a while after they declared that they were from a parallel universe so he decided to save that bombshell for later and deal with the consequences when they came. "Sir, with all due respect, may we see if Rodney'll be all right first?"

The look that passed over Everett's face at that request was unreadable but Sheppard and his team mates didn't know the man (or even the _universe_, for that matter) well enough to even try so they simply waited for his verbal reply to their leader's request.

"All right, the debriefing will be held thirty minutes from now at 1430 hours."

The Gateroom staff watched in open-mouthed shock as the three remaining team members all broke out in a jog for the infirmary. Everett turned to a surprised Zelenka who had been in the middle of a power consumption report and asked "Do you have _any_ idea what _that _was all about?"

Zelenka merely shook his head, still speechless.

In the infirmary Beckett was gently trying to rouse the unresponsive Mckay by tapping his face and calling his name softly. "Rodney?...Rodney I need you to wake up, I know you're in there…Rodney?"

The darkness was beginning to feel claustrophobic to Rodney as fragmented memories flew pat his eyes behind closed lids. '_I wonder why they were being so nice? I'm obviously not completely awake but it's not __**that**__ bad is it? What's not that bad again? Oh my head hurts.'_

"…odney…ome on lad, I just need…..ake up for a minute….."

'_Carson? He doesn't like coming off world. Where am I, I wonder? Oh, why won't that buzzing sound stop?...Maybe, if Zelenka isn't too busy, we could use the energy from the desalinization process to help cook food. We might even design a Star Trek replicator machine someday. Why am I thinking about Star Trek? What has that got to do with anything?'_

"….ney I _really_ need you…pen your eyes…..ment…" the disembodied voice was sounding desperate, like it had been trying for a while.

'_Funny, I don't remember it saying much for the last several minutes. Maybe I should open my eyes and see if everything is all right._'

Unfortunately, now that Rodney had decided to try he was having trouble opening his eyes. They felt heavy, sticky, and sluggish for some reason. He kept trying for a while noticing how the words kept fading in and out. After a few minutes of trying he felt someone tapping his face. He finally was rewarded for his efforts by a sliver of blurry colours. After that he nearly didn't try again but the tapping became more insistent and the voice was sounding strained, agitated. For a moment Rodney felt bad for making the voice feel like that, but he quickly decided that the voice wouldn't be worried if it hadn't tried to wake him in the first place. But still he tried again and this time managed to fully open his eyes only to have them seared by a far too bright light. He tried to wave it away with his hands but he kept missing his target. He heard the voice cluck discontentedly.

"Can you tell me your name lad?"

What a stupid question, of course he could. "M Do't'r Rod'y M'kay" '_Was that even English? Surely it didn't really come out __**that**__ badly. I managed better earlier didn't I?'_

But he didn't have a chance to review the memories before he lost his slight connection to the conscious world and slipped off into the questionless, and answerless void.

_Back in the universe with which you are familiar….._

"John, even if it doesn't matter to us we should figure out what's wrong with him before we go back to Atlantis. You do remember _exactly_ what Beckett threatened us with after last time, do you not?" asked Teyla.

"Yeah, yeah. He doesn't want us to bring Rodney back with any 'unnecessary' damage. I don't get why he is so protective of this geek, he wasn't this bad about any of the others." Sheppard replied.

"Mckay's stayed longer than the others." Ronon added helpfully.

"Yes, but that doesn't explain what's wrong with him right now. And we need to figure it out before we bring him to Beckett. Maybe we should delay our progress back to the 'gate. The natives will not bother us." Teyla said in an attempt to get her team mates to focus on the problem at hand.

"Look, none of this makes any sense. When we left him to check out the village his head was bleeding and whenever he was conscious he was babbling like an idiot. Now we find him with no head injury wrapped in Ronon's coat that Ronon is still wearing His leg is now busted badly. He is also obviously having difficulties with the cold. And on top of it he seems to be having slight trouble concentrating even though he doesn't have a head wound. So I ask you, _what is going on here, and how will figuring that out help us with Beckett_?" Sheppard asked irritably. He was disconcerted by all the little inconsistencies. What bothered him most of all was the way Rodney looked at him. It was the way he had looked at him before the Wraith attacked Atlantis. He didn't want to talk about their present condition right now. He wanted to think about how life had been before.

'_He used to talk so much, so fast. Like his mouth couldn't keep up with his brain. And he used to smile a lot too. He looked just like a child on Christmas morning half of the time. Every discovery we made seemed like the most important thing in the world to him. And he used to talk with me like I would be just as excited as he was. Goodness his enthusiasm was catching. Why did everything change? Yeah the Wraith came but why did that change all of us? Why has he stuck with us all this time?'_ It had been a long time since Sheppard had remembered the days before Colonial Everett commanded Atlantis. I bothered him that he had never wondered why the scientist stayed with them unconditionally. He still sometimes caught the ecstatic smile on his face for brief moments until he caught his eye. Then Rodney's face would stop glowing with joy, and start looking incredibly sad. Maybe Sheppard should ask him sometime.

His thoughts were interrupted quite rudely by the self-same scientist rejoining the conscious world again. "Where are we? How far are we from the 'gate? Oh, we aren't close enough are we; I'm going to lose my leg all because I insisted on taking a stupid hike! I can't believe it this is a stupid way to lose a limb. Some people get them from reasonable things like explosions, or in the act of rescuing someone. Only I could possibly lose a limb because I fell down a stupid hill!" he was practically hyperventilating as he spoke more and more rapidly. His panic state was unmistakable it reminded both Sheppard and Teyla of his manner when the dark misty creature had roamed the halls of Atlantis.

Sheppard didn't know why he suddenly felt as if he should do something about his panic. For just a moment he wished that things had never changed. But in a flash his regret turned to anger because Rodney hadn't been able to stop the change. "Mckay," he growled "You are not going to lose your leg unless you keep complaining about it in which case I'll be happy to oblige."

"Oh that's mature Colonial, mock the injured, bleeding, miserable man why don't you?" his panic hadn't visibly decreased and he was still hyperventilating but at least he had stopped hypothesizing about worst-case scenarios out loud.

Sheppard took this opportunity to examine the scientist. He was pale, trembling, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Rodney suddenly grimaced and then leaned over a little and started retching. Soon his last meal adorned the ground. Sheppard was a little worried to notice the physicist's pulse when he helped him lean back into Ronon. It was very rapid. Rodney had begun to panic full force again and that wasn't helping anybody.

"Rodney, you're gonna be all right. We may not like you much but we are your team and we will bring you back to Atlantis." Sheppard tried to calm Rodney.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Rodney's reply came back.

"Now, you need to tell us what's wrong with you." He threw a look at Teyla as he said that saying 'now we'll get your answer'.

"Oh, um, I don't feel so good." Came the completely unhelpful reply.

Sheppard threw a look at Teyla that dared her to try. "Could you be more specific Rodney?"

"More specific about what?" Rodney looked suddenly exhausted. "You're blurry." He commented like it was a fascinating discovery. "Where are we?"

Even Ronon was beginning to worry about their increasingly disoriented companion. They were still making good time towards the 'gate but they wouldn't be there for another few minutes yet. He may not like the prickly man, he may even severely dislike him but he didn't want him dead. Besides, this situation was out of his control. It couldn't be stopped as soon as Mckay was experiencing enough discomfort to make him miserable. It was already more serious than anything Ronon had ever been actually tempted to do (or had done) to the little man. Bruising him was one thing, carring him back with serious injuries was quite another. Didn't mean he'd stop the bruising if Rodney did get well though.

Just then, Rodney went completely slack in Ronon's arms. They were able to catch sight of the 'gate when Rodney suddenly started convulsing, which was enough to jar everyone into a run. They were all in agreement. The man may be annoying and a very amusing person to make uncomfortable but none of them wished him to _die_. They rushed him through the 'gate. And Sheppard's first thought on taking in his surroundings was that maybe he had gotten his wish and they world had returned to the way it was previously. The room looked exactly as it had before the Wraith attack. And most surprising of all _Dr. Weir_ was coming down the steps to meet them with concern filling her eyes. And Colonial Everett was nowhere to be seen.

**Author's Note:** Sorry about this chapter being so clunky. Can anybody guess what's wrong with our Rodney? You get extra points if you figure it out. I may even mention it in my next little note. I really didn't think that the team could be too different. They are much crueler but I figured that there had to be a reason that Rodney stuck with 'em. So they can't be completely heartless. Pretty please with sugar on top drop me a review. Remember, there is no point for me to write any faster unless someone wants me to and I won't know that unless you tell me. So TTFN Ta Ta For Now.


	7. Chapter 7

_For every action there is equal and opposite criticism_

_-Murphy's 62nd Law of Combat_

_On the other side of a giant 'obsidian' wall..._

Rodney woke slightly to hear a familiar Scottish brogue giving a severe tounge-lashing to someone. He didn't know who they were or what they'd done but he felt very sorry for them. Goodness, he'd feel sorry for anyone who got on the wrong side of the good doctor.

"Every mission you bring him back with a bruise or scrape of some sort! I don' know how you can fail to see it, but that lad cares more about you three than anyone in two universes though why I'll never know. You abuse him like everything that goes wrong is his fault and then you have the audacity to bring him back like this and _**now**_ you start acting concerned! I don't care what perverted pleasure you get out of seeing him hurt, I'll not let you in here to torment him!"

Rodney heard him pause for breath and he managed to open his eyes and saw, to his great astonishment, his three team members looking aghast and terribly worried. He saw Carson getting ready to start in on them again and he thought that he should make his wakefulness known to spare them further lecturing. _After all, they were nice to me today. Maybe they have changed. Besides, they've listened long enough._ He cleared his throat painfully and managed a weak "Ow. Maybe that wasn't a very good idea."

"Rodney!" Carson exclaimed, turning his back on his lecture-es and giving his full attention to his patient. Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla took this opportunity to move closer and see him a bit better. "You had me worried, lad. You weren't opening your eyes like you should despite anything your brain scans said. Of course, I should've known you'd prove them wrong." he finished fondly.

Rodney gave him a small smile and them looked at his team with a puzzled frown. "Why were you being nice to me?" he asked, no accusation or sadness in his voice, only puzzlement.

"Well," Sheppard began looking at the others for the go ahead. "I don't think either of you will believe us, but at least you have to let us try and explain it to you before you call anybody, okay?"

When he got only confused looks from both Beckket and Rodney he decided to forge ahead any way. "You know the rainy planet that took a dislike to you? Well, when we went to see if the natives had any sort of medical aid they'd be willing to lend us we discovered that they weren't altogether friendly to intruders. They tied us up and pushed us through a wall that looked like obsidian. And when we got to the other side the natives were still there but they were nice this time and they told us that the wall was used to banish people to another universe. And they told us that they had banished our counterparts, your version of us, to our universe. And they told us where to find you, Rodney. So there you have it, you fell down a hill in two universes, got a broken leg in one and a concussion in the other, two groups of natives took a dislike to two versions of ourselves and now we can't go back to our own universe and our own Rodney for three days. Now, since we've explained ourselves to you could you explain this universe to us?"

_Back to a place you know and (hopefully) love..._

Sheppard was shocked to be told they could go to the infirmary with their friend (yes, she used the word friend) before they gave her their report. And he was even more surprised to realize that, not only did he want to, but he had missed the assumption that he would want to. So they quickly followed their mysteriously injured friend. Sheppard paced the waiting room when they got their and realized he was being closely scrutinized by his companions.

"Why are you so concerned? You have not shown any liking for him for years, why now?" Teyla asked him, puzzled.

"I don't know, maybe it's because he looked at us and talked to us like he used to, and I've missed that. I don't even know when I stopped being his friend. I never realized it had gotten so bad." he finished despondently.

"You tried to push him away so he wouldn't get hurt and so you wouldn't be hurt by such an occurrence" Teyla said slowly and carefully, as if only now realizing. "And I did as well, and when we couldn't make him leave we started to be annoyed, and eventually a beautiful thing, a friendship, was destroyed and it became a contest. One that no one was willing to lose."

They fell into silence again broken, surprisingly, by Ronon "I gave him my coat, or a version of me did." he said, almost as a question. The statement wouldn't make much sense to the casual listener but it spoke volumes to his team 'why would I give him my coat? How was there another version of me to give him my coat?'

The silence returned because none of them could answer.


	8. Chapter 8

_There is always a way and it usually doesn't work._

_-Murphy's 104th Law of Combat_

_In a universe much like, but not quite, our own..._

"Let me get this straight." began Rodney, who obviously still had a headache. "You were thrown into a wall by some aliens and then believed them when they told you this was a different universe?"

"Yes." said Ronon as if that settled the matter.

Sheppard tried a more convincing approach. "We had several good reasons to." at Rodney and Carson's disbelieving looks he hurried on. "First, in our reality you had broken your leg, badly, not cracked your head. Second, Ronon gave you his coat and when we found you it was nowhere to be seen, and it sticks out like a sore thumb! Third, the aliens in our universe had powerful weapons and were unfriendly, whereas yours have very few weapons and are much more hospitable. Fourth, you're scared of us." a flash of hurt passing over his face as he said it, "Fifth, since when has Colonial Everett been in charge!?" he finished, as if this one had been bothering him for a while.

Rodney and Carson exchanged a long glance. Finally, Rodney spoke "All right, since no one would make up a story that crazy and expect us to believe it I'll believe you provisionally. Though I'll want to hear more about your universe once your briefing with Colonial If-It-Moves-Shoot-It." he said picking up speed as his excitement grew. "Maybe their really different. We could learn all sorts of things from you depending on how much you've done that we haven't and vice versa. And besides, knowing how life is in another universe, how much more exciting can you get than that!?"

Teyla chose to interrupt here asking a freely directed question. "But how can we tell Colonial Everett what happened? He will not believe us simply at our words. And proving ourselves to be truthful and sane may take longer than our Rodney should be left alone."

Rodney's face fell at that and Carson spoke up. "Well, if Rodney believes you're telling the truth I may as well. And you are acting differently than you have in a long time. I can help you with the first part of your predicament lass. Just pretend you are your counterparts. You'll probably know enough about this universe in general to pass off as them for one briefing without too much coaching. But as for the second part of your problem, we will just have to hope that your counterparts take care of your Rodney. You can go back in three days right?" at John's nod he continued. "Well, they surely can't botch it too badly with everyone else in your Atlantis looking out for him, and they might come out better for it in the end." he finished, a little hopefully.

"We've got to go in about a minute. Anything we should know about briefing protocols?" Sheppard asked, a little apprehensively.

"Just your average 'Don't speak unless spoken too' advice. Don't answer any questions he doesn't ask and don't be very detailed on the ones he does. Volunteering 'extra' information can get you extra plumbing duty as a scientist or extra work-outs as a soldier." Rodney answered a little peevishly. Sheppard guessed he had been on the plumbing detail more than most people, and he only just caught himself before smirking.

_Meanwhile, back at the ranch..._

Carson finally returned to the waiting room, looking utterly worn out, but happy. "Well, he's a stubborn lad, and for once it's a good thing. He'll be all right now. It seems he had a hypoglycemic reaction in addition to a compound fracture. We've set his leg, stitched it up, and given him a cast. And we've put him on an IV for the hypoglycemia. He'll probably sleep for a few more hours, but you can visit him soon."

Sheppard surprised all of them, except Carson, by asking "Can we see him now? Not for long, just a moment." he pleaded.

Carson sighed. "_One_ minute. Sixty seconds is all you get. Then you're going to go and explain to Doctor Weir how he got into such a mess in the first place." he said with a hint of a smile at the end. He moved aside from the doorway and watched them go to their companion and stay for the exact sixty seconds. They left with only a small murmured "Thank you" from Sheppard who had trailed behind.


	9. Chapter 9

_It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious._

_-Murphy's 27th Law_

_Somewhere over the rainbow (or some such thing)..._

As Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon approached Colonial Everett's office they heard the tail end of a conference with Zelenka, who was saying exasperatedly "The Ancients' motto was 'If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you ever tried'! I swear they are the most un-helpful..." whatever he had been going to say about the Ancients was cut off by Colonial Everett saying "Yes, now it appears that the plumbing is having difficulties near the west living quarters again, so you might want to fix that." signaling that the conversation was at an end. Zelenka left the room fuming, stopping briefly when he saw them.

"I don't know what you three are up to but he has been in a foul mood ever since you delayed the briefing, and nobody is happy about it." he stated a little grouchily as he stomped off to his lab.

"I hope Everett's in a better mood than Zelenka, though I doubt it." muttered Sheppard as they entered his office.

Everett turned to face them, a scowl covering his face. It eased a little when he saw them all at strict attention in a perfect line. "All right, the first piece of information I need is how was Doctor Mckay injured?"

"He fell down a mudslide, sir!" Replied Sheppard in proper military style not turning his head.

"I see, why was there a mudslide?" Everett asked, his voice heavy with suspicion.

"It started raining heavily, sir!" Sheppard stated.

Everett, satisfied with those answers for now, changed the line of questioning slightly. "Was there anything of interest to us on the planet?"  
"There was a power reading that we were unable to investigate due to the accident, sir!" Sheppard said, tiring of this stilted form of communication.

Everett's eyes gleamed at the answer. The room was left in absolute silence as he considered the situation for a moment. Finally, he came to a decision. "Your team will return to the planet as soon as Mckay is able and you will stay until you have a _thorough_ report on the power readings." He said in such a way that Sheppard understood this was his way of punishing them without any actual discipline taking place.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Sheppard said with a salute added.

"Dismissed." Everett commanded.

"Sir!" With a final salute the three left and practically broke into a run as soon as they were out of sight. Though, truth be told, Sheppard was relieved with the punishment as it would give them an excuse to return to their universe and send back their 'reflections'. They hurried back to the infirmary to report the news to their fellow conspirators.

_In a slightly more familiar place..._

In the debriefing room Weir looked at Sheppard expectantly. And he decided that being straight with her might be the best way to go. "I'm sure this is going to sound crazy to you, so I want you to promise to give me a chance to explain _everything_ before you decide to go call Heightmeyer, okay?" Ronon looked at him, surprised at this casual addressing of the apparent commander, but Weir looked slightly confused but she said "I promise."

"And don't interrupt either please?" Sheppard asked, practically begging in tone.

"Okay." she said, even more surprised at that request, and the rigid stances of Ronon and Teyla were starting to bother her as well.

"I think that we," he gestured at himself, Ronon, and Teyla, "don't belong in this universe. I think that your Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon are with our Rodney. And I think I know how it happened." he then related their experiences of late to a rather befuddled Weir.

When she still looked skeptical and opened her mouth to speak Sheppard raised a hand and spoke again. "This Atlantis is not my home as it is. It is my home as I wish it could be, peaceful, beautiful, cheerful." he spoke slowly, carefully, wistfully. "This is how it was a long time ago. Before the Wraith attack. I'm guessing that is where our universes changed. On our Atlantis it is now controlled by the military, a Colonial Everett. Our missions are not for scientific study, though Rodney wishes they were and treats them as such, they are searches for weapons at any cost to anyone." He finished sadly.

Weir looked at them and decided that what they said was possible. They were certainly all different than usual. And things like that were not unheard of. She tried to imagine her friends as they must be in that different world, if the sorrow behind Sheppard's words were anything to judge from something needed fixing in their world, she just had to believe her friends could deal with it. She thought the must be very worried for their Rodney if they were the same people as she knew.

"We'll try to see if you're right, and help you get home if we can. Meanwhile, you can go relax or...something." She wasn't entirely sure what they did to occupy their free time and decided to leave that up to them.

After the left the began walking back towards the infirmary, when Ronon spoke up. "Why do you miss this so much? And why are you so worried for Rodney, especially when he's not even ours?" There was no accusation in his voice, just simply curiosity.

Sheppard suddenly realized the man had never met Mckay before...everything. "Well, I suppose it's because so much of it is what I know. It is a better way of doing things, I just forgot about it and let things change I guess I did better in one universe anyway." He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "You would have liked Mckay, though you probably wouldn't even admit it to yourself. He was the universe's biggest pessimist, and he complained to no end, but he could be more joyful than anyone I ever met, and he would try almost anything given the right circumstances, and he's brave too." he trailed off in thought and his companions thought he was done talking, when he almost whispered his thoughts, like he wasn't entirely aware of voicing them. "He never abandoned us, even though we abandoned him."

Ronon felt something, like he could almost grasp the meaning behind those words, but he had never seen Mckay before the Wraith attack and he didn't quite understand. But Teyla had seen the change in her friends and in herself without really noticing or trying to stop it and she understood the meaning all to painfully. Right in front of the infirmary doors she touched Sheppard's arm and said "We have done wrong, and our whole world is wrong. We can never change our mistakes, but perhaps we can change our future."

Sheppard gave a small smile. "At least we can do right by this world's Rodney. We can try."


	10. Chapter 10

_In Nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, it everything is going right, something is wrong._

_-Murphy's 89th Law of Combat_

_In a very similar, yet different, universe..._

Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon were disappointed to be unable to share the good news with Rodney because he was unconscious again. Beckket had assured them, however, that he was all right. He would just need a lot of sleep in the near future. They instead shared the news with him alone, and since they were all planning on being in the infirmary for th foreseeable future Sheppard decided to voice the question that had been bothering them since they arrived.

"So, despite this Atlantis being a military rather than scientific outpost the people don't seem all that different. Why is Rodney scared of us, and why did you threaten us when we came to check on him?"

Beckket colored slightly at the mention of the incident. "Well, to really answer your question properly I'm going to need a sense of how closely our experiences match. Obviously, we both found Atlantis. Did you wake the Wraith?" At the guilty nod he continued. "And the shadow creature? Did Rodney use that daft shield of his to lure it away?" Another nod prompted him and he continued this line of question until he got to the Wraith attack on the city.

"Yes that happened to us, but Colonial Everett was aged by a Wraith and he left Atlantis. I'm guessing that has a lot to do with the differences to the city and the way it runs, but I don't see why it should affect our team." Sheppard said in reply.

"Well then, I think I know what happened." Beckket settled back in his chair like a father who's children had begged him for a story. "After you lost Ford and Rodney spent some time in the infirmary because he'd run himself into the ground you and Teyla took it into your heads that being on an off-world team was more dangerous than simply being a scientist in the city. You tried first convincing Rodney to stay but he called it a crock and pointed out that the most dangerous things that had ever happened to him had happened at the city and he was probably safer with you on the team. At the time he was right." Carson sighed sadly before continuing. "So then you came up with the brilliant idea that if Rodney hated you or at least didn't like you he might give up on you and stay here. Naturally, that didn't work on the stubborn bugger. And finally you decided that if he was coming than it would hurt you less if you didn't care about him anymore. Eventually the pretending came real and no one who works closely with any of you has been happy since. As far as Ronon goes he didn't much like Mckay to begin with and Mckay's change from vociferous and boisterous to a more sober and subdued character didn't help with first impressions any so he operated on the assumption that whatever you two were doing was the correct course of action. Now you have it, the whole sad story. I don't suppose you could tell me what it's like in your universe?" He asked pleadingly at the end.

"Sure." Replied Sheppard grinning a little, despite the sombre mood of the room. He then proceeded to tell many exciting, funny, and dramatic stories from their life. Beckett nodded when he recognized things, gaped when he didn't, laughed a little at most of them, and smiled whenever he heard about how happy his friend's life was with these people. The story telling was interrupted by a groan from Rodney's bed, indicating that its occupant was a little cranky at the moment (probably because of a splitting headache).

"Could Hans Christian Anderson over there tune it down a bit? My head hurts." He asked miserably.

Carson winced sympathetically. "Ach, of course lad." he replied in a low tone.

"Hey sunshine." John whispered with a grin. "We have some good news for you." and he explained their encounter with Everett and outlined a plan to talk some sense into 'himself' and his 'friends' that he'd never met. All the while a small grin took up residence on Rodney's face as he slowly drifted back to sleep.

_Elsewhere on the time-space continuum..._

Carson looked at the scene before him without being able to decide how he felt about it. It was a peaceful scene really, but it would be better for all of them if they were sleeping in their own beds. Rodney was, of course, snoring away in an infirmary bed, and the rest of his team mates were sprawled around it like tired kittens. He decided he may as well enjoy it since it wouldn't really harm them to sleep there for one night, and he didn't have the heart to send them away anyhow. As Carson watched he noticed slightly increased activity on the heart-monitor indicating the waking of the universe's most recalcitrant patient. His restless stirring woke the others and soon they were all sitting (sort of) and rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Rodney tried to stretch and noticed, with chagrin, that his leg was effectively pinned by a cast. The heart-monitor sped up and his breathing quickened but Carson was by him in a second using his most soothing tone.

"It's all right Rodney, your leg will be fine. You're in the infirmary. Do you remember what happened?" The doctor asked, since memory loss was associated with severe hypoglycemic reactions. Rodney remembered up to the point where Ronon left to find the rest of the team, but nothing after that. This news brought an inaudible sigh of relief to Sheppard, who wanted to tell this Rodney the truth without it being anymore awkward and difficult than was strictly necessary. By the time basic explanations were over Rodney had drifted off again leaving the others to try and figure out what all they would do with themselves while he was recovering.

_A little later..._

Beckket: "Ach, no! You can _**NOT**_ play shuffle board in the infirmary and I don't care if Ronon has never played it! That is final!"

_If at first you don't succeed..._

Sheppard: "Teyla! You can't be bluffing when you're not bluffing!"

Ronon: "Why not? It worked didn't it?"

Sheppard: "Carson, Teyla's cheating!"

Beckket: "Can't help you on this one lad."

_And yet more shenanigans..._

Sheppard: "Knock Knock."  
Teyla: "Who's there?"

Sheppard: "Banana."  
Teyla: "Banana who?"  
Sheppard: "Knock knock."

Teyla (confused): "Who's there?"

Sheppard: "Banana."

_About and hour and a half later..._

Teyla (wearily): "Who's there?"

Sheppard (thoroughly amused): "Banana."  
Beckket: "Stop tormenting the poor lass!"

Sheppard: "Just let me finish this one!"

Teyla (resigned): "Banana who?"

Sheppard: "Knock knock."

Teyla: "Who's there?"  
Sheppard: "Orange."

Teyla (mystified): "Orange who?"

Sheppard: "Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?"

Ronon: "If you had you'd have a reason to be in the infirmary."


	11. Chapter 11

_Any solutions to boredom will cause some new, worse misfortune to arise._

_-Murphy's 53rd Law_

_Elsewhere, in another universe..._

"I've discovered a slight hole in our perfect plans." Sheppard announced glumly to Carson when the doctor came in to check on his currently sleeping patient.

"Oh, and what's that lad?" He asked, not particularly concerned.

"We don't have anything to do while we wait for Rodney to be released. We don't know how many little differences there might be here so we don't know how to interact with everyone we might meet. We don't know what they think of us, so we can't risk it right now. Also, some of our more arbitrary decisions seem to be different here, such as quarters selection..." He trailed off meaningfully.

"As far as your entertainment goes, lad, I think you might just have to deal with being bored, though if I can get you into your quarters I'm sure you must have _something _to keep you busy in your spare time. I can't help you with that either until my shift ends for the day though, so until then you're welcome to stay here, just keep it down." Carson replied kindly, little knowing the frustrations he had just doomed himself to, especially with Rodney asleep most of the time.

_The entertainment begins..._

Sheppard: I spy with my little eye...something blue.

Ronon: "Rodney's blanket."

Sheppard: "Nope."

Teyla: "The blankets in the bed to his right."  
Sheppard: "Nope."

Rodney (sleepily): "Just guess them all at once, otherwise it'll take forever."  
Sheppard: "Aw, Rodney, you're no fun."  
Rodney (grinning now): "Nope."

_Many blue blankets later..._

Teyla: "I do not understand this 'Truth or Dare', why would one rather inconvenience themselves than tell the truth?"  
Sheppard: "Because people ask embarrassing questions that they wouldn't want to answer."  
Teyla: "Such as?"  
Rodney: "Well, they always asked me things like had I _really_ been spoken to by government agents because of my sixth grade science fair project. That got very tiresome after a while, so I chose 'Dare' just to make the time pass better."

Sheppard (deadpan): "So, did you _really_ have to talk the the Canadian feds because of your sixth grade science fair project?"  
Rodney: "Oh, shut up. I can make your showers very unpleasant for you and no one will fix it until I let them."

_Meanwhile, back where they belong..._

"What do you think will happen to us if we can't get back to our universe?" Teyla wondered aloud.

"We'll stay here." Ronon said, shrugging.

"That wouldn't be right." Sheppard started. "We don't belong here, not really. And while it might be better than ours, we have a responsibility to our universe. We have to try and fix what we have done wrong."  
"Our counterparts are there now, is it not possible that they will do better than we have done?" Teyla asked curiously.

"Just because we have failed in the past doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't try again!" Sheppard said vehemently. "We have wronged our Rodney, no one can make it right except for us."

"The dishonored soldier is the only one that can win back his honor." Ronon said slowly. At their puzzled looks he explained. "It was a saying on Sateada. If a soldier did not preform adequately in a task, or if he committed an offense against another he was given one chance to make it right and earn his honor back."

"Then let us be grateful that circumstances have allowed us to see our mistakes and given us this chance to do as your people once did." Teyla said.


End file.
